Accidental needlestick injuries are extremely common in the health care industry due to the conventional ways in which health care workers are required to handle hypodermic needles. Needle-stick injuries can result in the transmission of hepatitis B, non-A, non-B hepatitis and potentially HIV, the virus causing Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.
Accidental needlestick injuries can occur when physicians, nurses or other hospital workers accidentally stick themselves with hypodermic needles after they have been used on patients. Used, exposed and contaminated needles left on work surfaces, in beds, thrown in nonrigid trash receptacles, or even during transport of a proper receptacle, pose a significant health hazard to hospital personnel.
The currently used hypodermic needles provide no means for safely resheathing needles after use and consequently, used hypodermic needles are the most common cause of accidental needlestick injuries in hospitals.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,627,843 protects a needle with a cover which has a longitudinal opening. However, the cover still requires handling in such a manner that endangers the health care worker.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,629,453 shows a conventional needle cover having a large disk-shaped guard flange which may prevent the tip of the needle from contacting the fingers. However, there is still a requirement that during handling, the fingers have to move in the direction of the needle point at some time.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,345,596 shows a cylindrical device which may be separated into longitudinal halves but the patent does not describe a device which cold protect a needle.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,585,437 simply shows a needle guide having longitudinally divided portions of a cone.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,545,374 shows an example of a device in which longitudinally separable cylindrical halves cover a needle. However, there is still a requirement that during handling the fingers and hands of the health care worker move in proximity to the needle point.
U. S. Pat. No. 4,592,744 shows a device created by the present inventors in an effort to overcome the needlestick problem. While the device solves many of the aforementioned problems, a need still exists for a device which is adaptable for use with a conventional hypodermic needle.